RDF Surfaces Primer

Living Document,

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(KNoWS)

Abstract

This document specifies a Notation3 sublanguage to express RDF Surfaces.

1. Introduction

Logo

This document presents a Notation3 sublanguage to express a revised RDF logic as envisoned by Pat Hayes in his 2009 ISWC Invited Talk: BLOGIC. RDF Surfaces logic can be thought as an implementation of Charles Sanders Peirce's Existential Graphs in RDF.

An RDF surface is a kind of a sheet of paper on which RDF graphs can be written. All triples that are part of an RDF graph are then on this sheet of paper, including all [URI]s, literals and Blank nodes. A sheet of paper can contain more than one RDF graph. An RDF graph can’t be split over multiple sheets of paper. But, one can copy an RDF graph from one sheet of paper to another sheet of paper.

Blank nodes are special. They can’t be copied to a new piece of paper. They can be thought of scratches on a piece of paper. These scratches, or graffiti, are engraved into the piece of paper and can’t be transferred. When copying data with blank nodes onto a new sheet of paper, new scratches need to be made.

An empty positive surface is a tautology.

blank surface

A positive surface with one triple :Gent a :City, which means "Ghent is a city".

blank surface

A positive surface with one triple containing a blank node [] a :City, which means "There is something that is a city".

blank surface

Two positive surfaces, one with the triple [] a :City (which means "There is something that is a city"), and another one with the triple [] a :Cat (which means "There is something is a cat").

blank surface

One can copy these two RDFs graphs to a new surface. This will contain two graphs with two blank nodes:

@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .

[] a :City .
[] a :Cat .

This means, "There is something that is a city AND There is something that is a cat."

blank surface

Positive surface

There are special sheets of paper that can be interpreted as a logical statement. For instance, the sheet of paper in Example 1 is an example of a positive surface (we use in this document a paper with a black border as a positive surface). Any RDF graph written on this surface is interpreted as logical assertion (true). An empty sheet of positive paper is an empty claim and is treated as a logical tautology (true).

When there is there is more than one RDF graph on the surface, then it is a logical conjunction (AND). If we interpret the sheets of paper with the black border in the examples above as positive surfaces, then they express:

The blank nodes need to be interpreted as existential quantified variables on logical paper.

A positive surface is the default surface, when no other surface information is provided.

Negative surface

In the same way as a positive surface asserts a logical truth, a negative surface asserts a logical negation. The examples below will use a sheet of paper with a red border as a negative surface.

An empty negative surface on the default positive surface expresses a logical contradicton. When there are one or more RDF graphs written on an negative surface they mean the negation of those RDF graphs.

A blank node on a negative surface is interpreted as a universal quantified variable. The reason is that:

NOT(∃ x : P(x)) ⇔ ∀ x : NOT(P(x))
An empty negative surface (on a default positive surface) is a contradiction.

blank surface

A negative surface with one triple :Ghent a :Cat means "It is not the case that Ghent is a cat".

blank surface

A negative surface with one triple [] a :City means "It is not the case that something is a city" , or "Nothing is a city".

blank surface

Propositional logic

With combination of conjunction, by putting triples on a positive surface, and negation, by putting triples on a negative surface, any compound truth-functional statement can be symbolized with positive and negative sheets of paper:

Propositional logic using positive and negative surfaces.

blank surface

First-order logic

First-order logic can be added to the RDF surfaces by interpreting the blank node as an existential quantified variable and using the rule that a universal quantified variable can made from an existential quantified variable by placing it in an enclosing negative surface:

∀ x : P(x) ⇔ NOT(∃ x : NOT P(x)):
First-order logic using positive and negative surfaces.

blank surface

First-order logic in Notation3

RDF Surfaces provides a way to express the notion of positive and negative surfaces in Notation3 with help of the built-ins log:onPositiveSurface and log:onNegativeSurface.

The subject of both built-ins are the blank nodes that need to be put on the surface (so that they become existential or universal quantified variables depending on the type of surface).

"Something is a city" in Notation3 .
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

(_:X) log:onPositiveSurface {
    _:X a :City .
} .
"Something is a city" in Notation3 , version 2 : because the default surface is defined as a positive surface.
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

_:X a :City .
"Nothing is a problem" in Notation3 .
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

(_:X) log:onNegativeSurface {
    _:X a :Problem .
} .
"All cats are alive OR dead" in Notation3. These are Schrödinger cats: logical OR can mean alive, or dead, or both alive and dead.
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

(_:X) log:onNegativeSurface {
    _:X a :Cat .

    () log:onNegativeSurface {
        _:X :is :Alive .
    } .

    () log:onNegativeSurface {
        _:X :is :Dead .
    } .
} .
"If any cat X is alive, then X says meow" in Notation3 .
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

(_:X) log:onNegativeSurface {
    _:X a :Cat ;
        :is :Alive .
    () log:onNegativeSurface {
        _:X :says :Meow .
    } .
} .

A surface can be queried by providing a query surface. The results of this query will be the final result of the reasoning engine interpreting the surfaces.

:Ghent a :City is a triple on the implicit positive surface. The two nested negative surfaces express that for any subject _:S on the positive service that is a :City, it implies that _:S needs be be also a :HumanCommunity.

@prefix ex: <http://example.org/ns#>.
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#>.

ex:Ghent a ex:City.

# Every city is a human community
(_:S) log:onNegativeSurface {
    _:S a ex:City.
    () log:onNegativeSurface {
        _:S a ex:HumanCommunity.
    }.
}.

# Query
(_:S _:C) log:onQuerySurface {
    _:S a _:C.
}.

When this surface is executed by a reasoner the result would be:

@prefix ex: <http://example.org/ns#>.

ex:Ghent a ex:City.
ex:Ghent a ex:HumanCommunity.

More test cases can be found at https://github.com/w3c-cg/rdfsurfaces/blob/master/etc.md.

2. Document Conventions

Within this document, the following namespace prefix bindings to [URI]-s are used:

Prefix Namespace
ex http://example.org/ns#
rdf http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#
log http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#
list http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/list#
string http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/string#

3. Surface

Surfaces are written as triples where the subject is a list of zero or more blank nodes. The object is a RDF graph or the true or false literal. The blank nodes in the subject list are treated as marks on the object RDF graph. The predicate specifies the kind of surface. Any kind of surface may be used but the following built-in have special semantics:

built-in semantics
log:onPositiveSurface Positive surfaces claim that an RDF graph on them is true
log:onNegativeSurface Negative surfaces claim that an RDF graph on them is false
log:onNeutralSurface Neutral surfaces don’t claim that the RDF graph on them is true or false
log:onQuerySurface Query surfaces use the RDF graph on them as a query

A surface can contain zero or more other surfaces. These surfaces are then nested. Nested surfaces can share the same [URI]-s and literals (by copying the data), but can’t share blank nodes. Any blank nodes that are written inside a surface (not as subject of an RDF Surface) are to be interpreted as coreferences to the blank node graffiti defined on a parent RDF Surface. If no such parent RDF Surface exists, then it is assumed that the blank node is a coreference to an implicit declared blank node graffiti on the default positive surface.

An ex:myFirstSurface is created which contains two triples and a nested surface. The blank node in _:X a ex:OtherStatement is a coreference to the _:X graffiti on ex:myFirstSurface.

In the nested surface ex:mySecondSurface, the blank node in _:X ex:is true is also a reference to the _:X blank node graffiti on ex:myFirstSurface.

The blank node _:Y coreference in ex:mySecondSurface doesn’t refer to a parent blank node graffiti. It is assumed that the default positive surface contains that graffiti.

In the nested surface ex:myThirdSurface, the blank node in _:X ex:is false is a coreference to the _:X blank node graffiti on ex:myThirdSurface. The new graffiti shields the _:X that was defined on ex:myFirstSurface: the scope of _:X coreferences is now limited to ex:myThirdSurface.

@prefix ex: <http://example.org/ns#> .

(_:X) ex:myFirstSurface {

    ex:Statement1 a ex:NiceStatement .
    _:X a ex:OtherStatement .
     
    () ex:mySecondSurface {
        _:X ex:is true . 
        _:Y a ex:AnotherStatement .

        (_:X) ex:myThirdSurface {
            _:X ex:is false .
        } .
    }.
} .

3.1. Positive Surface

A positive surface is an RDF graph which claims that an RDF Graph on it is true. This is the current default interperation of RDF Semantics. When no surfaces are provided, an implicit positive surface is assumed in the RDF document.

The two surfaces below are equal.
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

() log:onPositiveSurface {
    :Alice a :Person .
}

and

@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

:Alice a :Person .

The semantics of a positive surface is interpreted as a logical truth:

The surface below should be interpreted as: "Alice is a person and knows Bob, and Bob is a person that knows Alice".

As a logical statement:

:Alice a :Person AND 
:Alice :knows :Bob AND (
  :Bob a :Person AND 
  :Bob :knows :Alice
)

As RDF Surface:

@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

:Alice a :Person .
:Alice :knows :Bob .

() log:onPositiveSurface {
    :Bob a :Person .
    :Bob :knows :Alice .
} .

When a blank node is marked on a positive surface, then it is interpreted as an existential variable in the scope of the positive surface.

The surface below should be interpreted as : "There is a person that knows Alice".

As a logical statement:

∃ _:X : _:X a :Person AND _:X :knows :Alice

As RDF Surface:

@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

(_:X) log:onPositiveSurface {
    _:X a :Person .
    _:X :knows :Alice .
} .

In RDF Surfaces an default positive surface is implicitly assumed for each RDF document. On this default positive surface all existential variables are implicitly quantified. Example 19 can be rewritten as:

A default positive surface with an implicit _:X existential variable.
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

_:X a :Person .
_:X :knows :Alice .

Note: The use of a positive surface is deprecated and will be removed from future versions of the RDF Surface Primer. A deeply nested positive surface is syntactic sugar for a double nested negative surface.

3.2. Negative Surface

A negative surface is an RDF graph which claims that an RDF Graph on it is false. The intepretation of the negative surface is the negation of RDF Graph on it.

The semantics of a negative surface is interpreted as a logical falsehood:

The surface below should be interpreted as: "Alice is a person and knows Bob and Bob is not a person that knows Alice".

As a logical statement:

:Alice a :Person AND 
:Alice :knows :Bob AND NOT (
  :Bob a :Person AND 
  :Bob :knows :Alice
)

As RDF Surface:

@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

:Alice a :Person .
:Alice :knows :Bob .

() log:onNegativeSurface {
    :Bob a :Person .
    :Bob :knows :Alice .
} .

When a blank node is marked on a negative surface, then it should be interpreted as an existential quantified variable in the scope of the negative surface.

The surface below should be interpreted as "Alice is a Person and knows Bob and there isn’t a person that knows Alice".

As a logical statement:

:Alice a :Person AND 
:Alice :knows :Bob AND NOT (
  ∃ _:X :
     _:X a :Person AND 
     _:X :knows :Alice
)

which is the same as:

:Alice a :Person AND 
:Alice :knows :Bob AND 
  ( ∀ _:X :
     NOT (
      _:X a :Person AND 
      _:X :knows :Alice
    )
  ) 
)

As RDF Surface:

@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

:Alice a :Person .
:Alice :knows :Bob .

(_:X) log:onNegativeSurface {
    _:X a :Person .
    _:X :knows :Alice .
} .

When two or more negative surfaces are nested in a parent negative surface, then it should be interpreted as a logical disjunction.

The surface below should be interpreted as "Alice is a Person OR Bob is a Person OR Charly is a person".

As a logical statement:

:Alice a :Person OR
:Bob a :Person OR
:Charly a :Person 

which is the same as:

NOT(
  NOT(:Alice a :Person) AND
  NOT(:Bob a :Person) AND
  NOT(:Charly a :Person)
)

As RDF Surface:

@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

:Alice a :Person .
:Alice :knows :Bob .

() log:onNegativeSurface {
    () log:onNegativeSurface {
      :Alice a :Person .
    } .

    () log:onNegativeSurface {
      :Bob a :Person .
    } .

    () log:onNegativeSurface {
      :Charly a :Person .
    } .
}.

With combinations of AND and NOT other logical truth function can be build. E.g.

Negative surfaces should also follow the law of double negation elimination: P = NOT(NOT(P)).

3.3. Neutral Surface

A neutral surface makes no claims at all about the graphs written on it. Neutral surfaces can be used, for instance, to store information about RDF Collections. Triples on a neutral surface will not be "executed" in any way by a reasoner. Unless, the triples are copied to a positive or negative surface.

Nesting a neutral surface in another neutral surface will create a nesting of two surfaces.

Writing blank node graffiti on a neutral surface doesn’t have specific semantic meaning.

The surface below contains on the (default) positive surface factual information about http://example.org/ns#Alice and http://example.org/ns#Bob and two books: http://example.org/ns#Book1 and http://example.org/ns#Book2. The positive surface also contains structural information to group Books and Authors in an arbitrary author and book list.
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .
@prefix ldp: <http://www.w3.org/ns/ldp#> .

:Alice a :Person , :BookerPrizeWinner ;
  :name "Alice" .

:Bob a :Person ;
  :name "Bob" .

:Book1 a :Book ;
  :title "Learn RDF in 21 days" ;
  :author :Alice .

:Book2 a :Book ;
  :title "The RDF Surface programming language" ;
  :author :Bob .

() log:onNeutralSurface {
  :BookList1 a ldp:Container ;
    ldp:contains :Book1 , :Book2 .

  :AuthorList1 a ldp:Container ;
    ldp:contains :Alice , :Bob .   
} .

3.4. Query Surface

A query surface is used to return to external applications a single (positive) RDF Surface specified by a graph template. The result is an RDF Surface formed by taking each query solution in the solution sequence, substituting for the variables in the graph template, and combining the triples into a single RDF Surface by set union.

The semantics of a query surface is as follows:

A query surface that exposes all the triples on the default surface, plus all its entailments.
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

(_:S _:P _:O) log:onQuerySurface {
    _:S _:P _:O .
} .

The query above mimics the result of a SPARQL query (except for the added entailments):

CONSTRUCT {
    ?S ?P ?O .
}
WHERE {
    ?S ?P ?O .
}
Return the MyExample surface which only contains one triple:
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

(_:S _:P _:O) log:onQuerySurface {
    () log:onMyExampleSurface {
        _:S _:P _:O .
    } .
} .

The query above mimics the result of a SPARQL query (except for the added entailments):

@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

CONSTRUCT {
    () log:onMyExampleSurface {
        ?S ?P ?O .
    } .
}
WHERE {
    () log:onMyExampleSurface {
        ?S ?P ?O .
    } .
}

Return all triples on MyExample surfaces:

@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

(_:G) log:onQuerySurface {
    () log:onMyExampleSurface _:G .
} .
Return all negative surfaces (without blank node graffiti) which contain one single triple about http://example.org/ns#Alice.
@prefix : <http://example.org/ns#> .
@prefix log: <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#> .

(_:P _:O) log:onQuerySurface {
    () log:onNegativeSurface {
        :Alice _:P _:O .
    } .
} .

3.5. Question and Answer Surface

TODO

3.6. Other Surfaces

TODO

4. Examples

TODO

See:

Conformance

Conformance requirements are expressed with a combination of descriptive assertions and RFC 2119 terminology. The key words “MUST”, “MUST NOT”, “REQUIRED”, “SHALL”, “SHALL NOT”, “SHOULD”, “SHOULD NOT”, “RECOMMENDED”, “MAY”, and “OPTIONAL” in the normative parts of this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119. However, for readability, these words do not appear in all uppercase letters in this specification.

All of the text of this specification is normative except sections explicitly marked as non-normative, examples, and notes. [RFC2119]

Examples in this specification are introduced with the words “for example” or are set apart from the normative text with class="example", like this:

This is an example of an informative example.

Informative notes begin with the word “Note” and are set apart from the normative text with class="note", like this:

Note, this is an informative note.

References

Normative References

[RFC2119]
S. Bradner. Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels. March 1997. Best Current Practice. URL: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2119

Informative References

[URI]
T. Berners-Lee; R. Fielding; L. Masinter. Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax. January 2005. Internet Standard. URL: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986

Issues Index

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